Jiang Hao's heart jolted!
High-grade Nutrient Solution?
Two vials a month?
Jiang Hao wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.
Medium-grade Nutrient Solution.
Ten thousand Alliance Coins a vial!
But High-grade Nutrient Solution?
A hundred thousand Alliance Coins a vial!
Two vials came to a full two hundred thousand!
And—
Every month!
What made Jiang Hao's heart pound even harder was Su Qingning's unspoken implication.
This terrifying investment was practically "for doing nothing." He didn't have to pay any price up front; all she asked was that he get into a top martial arts university in the future.
It was practically a gift!
Jiang Hao's normally placid heart began pounding wildly, much to his own dismay.
With both Eight Revolutions Stance Skill and the Heaven Rewards Diligence System driving him forward, his resources were being used up at a shocking rate!
He'd been worrying just moments ago that the five vials of Medium-grade Nutrient Solution from his B-Class Treatment at school wouldn't last long.
What he needed most right now was money!
And now, a "long-term meal ticket" worth two hundred thousand Alliance Coins a month had suddenly smacked him right in the face.
Jiang Hao looked at the white-haired girl before him, who seemed untouched by worldly concerns and treated two hundred thousand as if it were nothing.
A tidal wave surged through his heart.
Was this the world of top geniuses?
Seeing Jiang Hao's rare look of shock, Su Qingning assumed he was still wary of being bound by the promise of becoming her "teammate." Her cool eyes remained impassive as she calmly spoke again.
"Do you need some time to think about it?"
Su Qingning had already prepared a whole set of arguments about "investing in the future" and "the value of potential."
But in the next instant—
Jiang Hao took a deep breath.
All the shock and hesitation on his face, along with that trace of lofty pride from moments ago—the reluctance to depend on anyone—vanished without a trace.
In their place was a sincerity and decisiveness he'd never shown before.
"No need to think it over."
"Classmate Su! I'm in!"
"..."
The air seemed to freeze!
A rare crack appeared in Su Qingning's eternally icy, stunning face.
All the arguments she'd prepared got stuck in her throat.
Her clear azure eyes blinked ever so slightly.
He agreed?
Just like that... he agreed?
The jade fingers hidden in Su Qingning's sleeve curled slightly, almost imperceptibly. The corner of her mouth twitched ever so faintly.
What happened to Classmate Jiang Hao, who'd looked so determined just moments ago, ready to refuse everything?
So two vials of High-grade Nutrient Solution were all it took to buy him off?
Su Qingning's feelings suddenly turned a little complicated.
Still.
This was for the best.
It spared her the task of persuading him, something she wasn't good at in the first place.
This Classmate Jiang Hao seemed much more "practical" than she'd imagined.
"Good."
Su Qingning resumed her usual cool and composed manner as Class Monitor.
"Now that you've agreed, we need to make our goals clear."
"There are only five months left until the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam."
"Over these five months, your goal is to reach a Blood Qi Intensity of twenty."
"And besides your Spear Intent, you must master another Ranked Martial Skill to perfection."
A Blood Qi Intensity of twenty.
One Martial Skill mastered to perfection.
Jiang Hao smiled confidently at her.
"No problem."
Su Qingning's cool brows drew together slightly as she watched him act so calm and unconcerned.
Jiang Hao didn't seem to realize just how terrifying a goal this was.
But she said nothing more.
"After school today, wait for me at the school gate."
"I'll give you this month's two vials of High-grade Nutrient Solution."
"Okay."
Jiang Hao nodded.
"I'll log out first."
They'd reached an agreement!
Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Hao's figure vanished from Su Qingning's Private Space.
Inside the pure-white Virtual Personal Space,
Jiang Hao's figure re-formed.
He stood there in silence for a full three seconds.
Then—
"Heh."
Jiang Hao couldn't help chuckling under his breath.
"A free meal?" Jiang Hao rubbed his chin, his expression indescribably strange. "Who would've thought that I, Jiang Hao, would one day live off my talent?"
It felt pretty damn good!
Jiang Hao had never imagined this.
After being reborn for seventeen years, painstakingly cultivating in martial arts and awakening a system,
he'd end up being "kept" by a rich and beautiful campus belle.
Even if the "sponsorship" was based on his terrifying potential.
"Making a living off your talent—is that really living off someone else?"
Jiang Hao said solemnly to himself.
"That's called... angel investment!"
Jiang Hao could even picture what would happen if anyone found out. They'd point at him and curse him.
They'd call him shameless for living off a woman.
They'd berate a grown man for taking a woman's resources.
Some might even sneer, "You already have a system. Why are you still mooching?"
At the thought, Jiang Hao's smile grew even brighter.
How naive.
So what if he lived off someone else?
Why turn down resources handed to you for free?
Only an idiot would refuse!
Just because he had a system,
did he have to struggle all alone until the end?
What kind of stupid logic was that?
The system was his trump card, the foundation of his strength.
The resources Su Qingning provided were a booster, the perfect fuel to turn his potential into real power!
Foundation plus fuel—that was how he could soar skyward at the fastest possible speed!
Besides,
Jiang Hao's gaze grew deep.
This deal had nothing but benefits for him.
All Su Qingning wanted was his promise to be a "future teammate." She wasn't asking him to give her anything tangible up front.
Even if he failed to meet the target and couldn't keep his promise in the end,
what would he, Jiang Hao, have to lose?
He wouldn't have to pay back a single coin!
"Besides..."
Jiang Hao clenched his fist. "Getting into a top key martial arts university..."
That was already his ultimate goal before the Martial Arts Exam.
He'd originally planned to play it safe and get into an ordinary key university first, then gradually set his sights on the highest-ranked school.
But now,
with two hundred thousand Alliance Coins' worth of resources from Su Qingning every month,
and the Heaven Rewards Diligence System letting him grind without limits,
"Dragon Xia First Martial University."
"Blood Qi Intensity of twenty."
"Looks like I don't need to wait until later to set my sights on those goals."
"Right now!"
Evening fell.
The dismissal bell rang at Eighth Martial High.
The noisy crowds poured out through the school gates, then quickly dispersed.
The setting sun stretched the shadow of the Teaching Building long across the ground.
Alone, Jiang Hao went to the spot Su Qingning had named: beneath the enormous Yellow Horn Tree at the school gate.
He'd barely stopped when
a Cold Figure stepped out from the shadows on the other side.
She wore the same pristine white martial arts uniform, her snow-white hair stirring gently in the evening breeze.
Su Qingning seemed to have been waiting for a while.
Neither of them wasted words.
Su Qingning handed him a Thermostatic Metal Box about the size of his palm.
"This month's."
"Thanks."
Jiang Hao accepted it calmly.
It felt cool to the touch, yet surprisingly heavy.
This was two hundred thousand Alliance Coins.
"Mm."
Su Qingning gave a cool nod, then turned and disappeared into the shadows.
Jiang Hao gripped the metal box, his heart ablaze.
With this,
before the Monthly Exam,
he might be able to push his Blood Qi Intensity to twelve!
With that thought,
Jiang Hao turned to leave.
But just after he'd taken a few steps, an amused, teasing voice suddenly came from the shadow of the Yellow Horn Tree behind him.
"Classmate Jiang Hao."
"Quite the haul."
Jiang Hao came to an abrupt halt and turned toward the voice!
Song Jun's tall, burly figure emerged slowly from the shadow of the tree trunk. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he wore that familiar smile of his, as if he'd seen right through everything.
Song Jun's gaze passed over the metal box in Jiang Hao's hand.
Then he looked toward the spot where Su Qingning had disappeared.
His iron-mask face wore a broad smile.
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